In at least some computed tomograph (CT) imaging system configurations, an x-ray source projects a fan-shaped beam which is collimated to lie within an X-Y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system and generally referred to as the "imaging plane". The x-ray beam passes through the object being imaged, such as a patient. The beam, after being attenuated by the object, impinges upon an array of radiation detectors. The intensity of the attenuated beam radiation received at the detector array is dependent upon the attenuation of the x-ray beam by the object. Each detector element of the array produces a separate electrical signal that is a measurement of the beam attenuation at the detector location. The attenuation measurements from all the detectors are acquired separately to produce a transmission profile.
In known third generation CT systems, the x-ray source and the detector array are rotated with a gantry within the imaging plane and around the object to be imaged so that the angle at which the x-ray beam intersects the object constantly changes. X-ray sources typically include x-ray tubes, which emit the x-ray beam at a focal spot. X-ray detectors typically include a collimator for collimating x-ray beams received at the detector, a scintillator adjacent the collimator, and photodiodes adjacent the scintillator.
Known scintillators are fabricated from various scintillating materials. These scintillating materials are divided into specific classes, with each having advantages and disadvantages. For example, some scintillating materials are fast but suffer from low light output, high radiation damage, or low transparency leading to Z-axis non-uniformity. Although it is desirable to utilize the fast scintillating material, the tradeoffs sometimes preclude use of such material.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a scintillator that offers reasonable tradeoffs between speed, output signal magnitude, and other scintillator characteristics. It would also be desirable to provide a scintillator which is capable of self collimating the light transmission in the lateral direction so that a separate collimator is no longer required.